Pancakes are a type of flat bread or very simple cake, not necessarily sweetened, enjoyed by cultures around the world. Pancake recipes vary, but all have the same basic ingredients of flour, eggs and milk. Some countries, like the United States and Canada, serve pancakes for breakfast while others, such as those in Europe, serve pancakes as desserts, for breakfast or even as a side dish. They are eaten plain, with butter and syrup, sprinkled with powdered sugar or filled with fruit or cheese or simply sprinkled with sugar and lemon juice. Whatever the tradition, pancakes are a virtually universal and enjoyable dish.

Ingredients

2 cups (18oz/510g) self-rising or all-purpose flour

2 or 3 eggs

1 1/2 cups (350ml) of milk

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

2 tablespoons of butter or vegetable oil

5 tablespoons of sugar

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional)

A pinch of salt

Steps

1

Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat until creamy. Add in the dry ingredients (including baking soda if using self-rising flour). Do not stir mixture at this point!

2

Melt the butter on the rice cooker pot/ vessel (or a pan or microwave) . Make sure that it's completely melted; about a minute is sufficient.

3

Add the butter and milk to the mix. Stir gently, leaving some small clumps of dry ingredients in the batter. Do not blend until completely smooth. If your batter is smooth, your pancakes will be tough and flat as opposed to fluffy.

4

Preheat the rice cooker for a few minutes. If you have an initial "pancake" setting on your rice cooker, use that. Be sure to use non-stick spray, or a pat of butter so the pancakes won't stick.

5

Sprinkle a few flecks of water onto your pot/ vessel/ container. If it 'dances', or jumps from the pan with a sizzle, the pan is ready for the batter.

6

Pour about 3 tablespoons to 1/4 cup batter from the tip of a large spoon or from a pitcher onto the hot pot. The amount you pour will decide the final size of your pancakes. It is best to begin with less batter, and then slowly pour more batter onto the pan to increase the pancake size.

7

Cook for about two minutes or until the pancake is golden. You should see bubbles form and then pop around the edges. When the bubbles at the edge of the batter pop and a hole is left that does not immediately close up, flip the cake gently.

8

Cook the other side until golden and remove. Want a deeper color? Repeat the steps for another thirty seconds per side until the pancake is done enough for your tastes.

9

Enjoy! Try adding butter, peanut butter, syrup (maple syrup tastes best with pancakes), jelly, chocolate chips, cookies, candy crumbles or fruit to your pancakes for a different, more exciting flavor. The varieties are endless. These are the most delectable pancakes you will ever taste.

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Tips

Add a bar of "Hershey's" or any chocolate to make it sweeter.

Make thin mini pancakes and create sandwiches with cheese, jam, chocolate, fruits, or candy in between for yummy snack bites.

Try putting cinnamon sugar on the pancake while it is in the rice cooker pot. After it is finished cooking, roll it up, and serve it as a "mock crepe" for a delicious treat.

If you want it to be really sweet, add syrup also add loads of sugar, or, you could add chocolate sprinkles and honey.

You can remove sugar and add a sweetener or even add coffee to add taste.

Try adding ingredients to your batter instead of topping your pancakes with them. Here are a few ideas:~ Try chocolate chips (milk or dark).~ Try putting bits of fruit in the batter (strawberries, bananas, blueberries or cherries, etc.).~ Stir in crisp bacon bits, a little grated cheese, your favorite nuts, or different spices such as cinnamon.

Add a little vanilla essence (extract) to the batter for an even sweeter pancake.

If you choose to use self rising flour omit the salt and baking powder from the recipe. Self rising flour contains both those ingredients.

Cover the pancakes with a paper towel with a plate under if not eating.

As there are many cultures in which pancakes are made, there are many different recipes. Some things to experiment with are for example:~Using beer or sparkling water along with the milk will give it a slightly different taste in the case of beer and make it rise better if you're not using baking powder.~The ratio between the fluids (milk, sparkling water, beer) and the solids (flour) determines whether the pancake will be thin (more like a French crepe) or thick (more like an American style pancake) so experiment until you find the recipe that you like most.~If you don't want the pancakes to stick to the pan you can also put in sunflower oil, the oil has a higher burning temperature (smoke point) than butter so it is better suited for use in hot pans.~For a very fluffy pancake use vanilla or fruit yogurt mixed with water for your liquid portion.

Try low carb pancakes - virtually no carbs: if you use high protein powders and egg or egg whites -- you'll like these delicious, "sugar free" pancakes.